My favorite present growing up were my Nana’s homemade peanut butter balls. Shocking right? What kid prefers a treat over a toy? They were such a hit in my family she gave us each our own bag of 25. They did not last long at all! You bet your bottom I snuck a few from my family members bag every now and then. They were that good!
I was overjoyed when my she passed the recipe down to me so I could continue the tradition for not only our family but now my own!
I make these now every year and when the time gets close my husband’s family will ask “are you making peanut butter balls this year?” My family doesn’t even ask, they just expect it. So what makes these bad boys so good? Other than the fact that I make them with love, there are a few ingredients that set my recipe apart.
The most important ingredient is Rice Krispies! This adds a nice airy crunch to the peanut butter balls and helps break up the sweetness. I once tried to use off brand Rice Krispies but there was a noticeable difference. The cereal went stale much faster and the coveted crunch was sadly missing.
The second most important ingredient is paraffin wax. This sounds strange but the wax is melted in with the chocolate. This allows the chocolate to not melt in your hand as quickly and provides a slight crunch as well!
Here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! The coveted recipe for the peanut butter balls!
Ingredients:
2 cups Peanut Butter (I use Jiff)
2 cups Rice Krispies
1 stick of butter melted
4 cups of powdered sugar
1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Mix the butter and powdered sugar until well blended.
2. Add in peanut butter and mix until blended. Add in Rice Krispies last and do not over mix! I have found mixing with your hands is the best at this point. This allows the cereal to not break up as much to allow as much delicious crunch as possible! The mixture should be a tad crumbly or close to cookie dough. If still sticky, add more powdered sugar.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on wax paper. Freeze for at least one hour, if longer than 24 hours place in a container so that the cereal doesn’t become stale! (I learned that the hard way)
4. Melt down the chocolate with small amount of wax added in. About 1 tbsp and shave it thinly so it melts evenly. It is hard to measure the amount of shavings but that is pretty close.
5. Once chocolate is melted, dip balls into chocolate and place back on the wax paper. Once all are dipped, place back into the freezer for at least an hour and enjoy! Place any left overs, if you can contain yourself, in a container and keep frozen! They are much better this way, I promise!
This recipe makes about 30 chocolate peanut butter balls
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Yummm! I love anything peanut butter!